Stroke Surgery Enables Dr. Blaya to Help Headache Patients Again
September 24, 2024
Neurologist Maike Blaya, MD, director of the Headache Center at Memorial Neuroscience Institute, was having headaches that were pounding on one side of her head and they were getting worse.
“These are what we call the red flags for a secondary headache,” she explained. “I did not really read myself on that.”
Secondary headaches can be a sign of an underlying condition and Dr. Blaya ended up having a hemorrhagic stroke. She was transported to Memorial, where Norman Ajiboye, MD, the medical director of stroke programs, administered clot-busting medication and performed a minimally invasive thrombectomy to remove the blood clot on her brain.
“I’ve never performed this surgery on one of my colleagues before,” said Dr. Ajiboye. “She’s got a good prognosis. She’s sharp mentally and she’s able to serve her community.”
“I am a different person today. I allow myself to laugh,” Dr. Blaya said. “I want to continue to be a neurologist for as long as I can.”
“These are what we call the red flags for a secondary headache,” she explained. “I did not really read myself on that.”
Secondary headaches can be a sign of an underlying condition and Dr. Blaya ended up having a hemorrhagic stroke. She was transported to Memorial, where Norman Ajiboye, MD, the medical director of stroke programs, administered clot-busting medication and performed a minimally invasive thrombectomy to remove the blood clot on her brain.
“I’ve never performed this surgery on one of my colleagues before,” said Dr. Ajiboye. “She’s got a good prognosis. She’s sharp mentally and she’s able to serve her community.”
“I am a different person today. I allow myself to laugh,” Dr. Blaya said. “I want to continue to be a neurologist for as long as I can.”
